The Tempest
by catherine2020
Summary: How will Stefan deal with Elena and Damon's relationship? How will Katherine try to win Damon and Stefan back? And how does Bonnie factor into all this? Read on to find out...
1. Chapter 1

It had been three months since life had returned to (somewhat) normal for Elena Gilbert, since she had come back from Frederick's house of horrors and resumed her relationship with Damon Salvatore. Though Meredith was still in the picture, posing as a home-schooled teenage girl so she could date infatuated Jeremy, though Stefan skulked around the enormous boarding house like a sullen ghost, and though Katherine remained one big question mark, Elena still managed to be blissfully happy with Damon.

Until events took a turn for the worse.

But on this Friday, the last day of school before winter break, Elena was looking forward to the last bell and Damon picking her up after school. The day had lasted about six years, with students and teachers alike looking forward to the week-long February vacation. Stefan in particular had grated on Elena's last nerve; he had taken to following her around school and kept staring at her during the classes they had together.

"Why can't you just be nice to him?" Bonnie asked now as she and Caroline walked with Elena to her locker after the last bell. "He loved you, you know, and now you're ignoring him like he's nobody."

"But Elena _tried_ to be friends with him," Caroline argued before Elena could even open her mouth. "Remember all the times she talked to him? He's just in a funk." She smiled craftily, fluffing her blonde hair. "He just needs to meet somebody new and get over Elena – no offense," she added hastily, but Elena shook her head as she put some schoolbooks into her locker.

"No, you're right, Caro," she replied, unloading the rest of her schoolbag. "And Bonnie, I really tried to be friends with Stefan, but he just won't listen to me." She snuck a look at Caroline, who was fixing her makeup in Elena's locker door mirror, then continued in a lowered voice. "And remember – he wanted me to have sex with both him and Damon?"

Bonnie sighed as she watched Elena close her locker and the three girls resumed walking, this time toward the side entry that led out to the student parking lot. "I know…I just think it's sad that Stefan is so _alone."_ She made a face as they neared the big double doors. "And Damon is so…_Damon."_

"That's not fair," Caroline told Bonnie as she pushed the door open, letting in a blast of cold air. "He's really changed since he started dating Elena." She shrugged. "Even _I _think so, and I hated him – hey!" she shrieked as Matt ran up the stairs to pick Caroline up and kiss her.

"I started the truck ten minutes ago," he explained to Caroline as he put her back down. "It should be toasty in there now, let's go." He turned to Bonnie and Elena. "Do you need a ride home, Bonnie? Elena, Damon's waiting for you in the lot."

"Of course he is," Bonnie muttered darkly under her breath before smiling at Matt. "No, thanks, I have my car."

Elena gave her friend a _what's with you? _look before saying goodbye to Caroline and Matt, promising to get together for a double-date during the break. As the happy couple walked down the stairs towards Matt's truck she could see Damon's big black Hummer idling in the parking lot, waiting for her, and she smiled before turning back to her friend.

"Bonnie, I really don't understand where this is coming from," she told her. "Lord knows I've tried with Stefan, and you know how great things are with Damon." Bonnie gave her an exasperated look.

"I've heard this all before, Elena, and I'm just saying that people – especially _vampires_ – can't change overnight." She raised an eyebrow. "Remember how obsessed he was with Katherine? You can't tell me that just_ disappeared_. And remember – "

"Okay, I'm going to leave now," Elena said in a loud voice, cutting Bonnie off. "I'll call you tomorrow and we can figure out what time we want to go to that movie you've been talking about." She turned and walked down the stairs, leaving Bonnie behind, and as she reached the bottom the Hummer had pulled up right in front of her, Damon reaching over to open the door for her. When he grinned at Elena, she felt her heart skip a beat as she smiled back…

…but after she climbed up into the SUV, she turned and looked out her window to see Bonnie still standing at the top of the stairs, staring after her.

Later that night, after Elena had eaten dinner and Damon had drank his, they were sitting next to each other on the leather sofa in front of a roaring fire, the lights dim and snow starting to fall outside the windows of the great room. She smiled, resting her head on his chest as his arm came around her.

"This is nice…I feel like I'm in a movie," she breathed as he kissed the top of her head.

"What kind of movie are we talking about here, Elena?" Damon teased. "One of those – _naughty_ movies?" He shifted her body so she was sitting on his lap, then kissed her, slowly and beautifully, and she sighed his name against his mouth as her eyes closed. Her arms snaked up around his neck while his hand tightened on her waist, and he lifted his mouth from hers.

"Elena," Damon whispered, "there's something I want to ask you – "

"Well, don't let _me_ spoil your moment," a sarcastic voice said from behind them.

Surprised, Elena bolted upright, vaguely aware of Damon saying a very bad word very quietly, and peeked over the back of the couch to see Stefan, a glass of amber liquid in his hand as he stumbled towards them. She sucked in her breath; he was very, very drunk. Damon gently shifted Elena from his lap back onto the sofa before standing up.

"C'mon, man, I'll help you upstairs," Damon said to his brother, moving around the couch toward Stefan, who didn't seem to want any help at all. Instead, he focused on Elena, who was watching from the general safety of the sofa.

"I bet if _I_ sat there with you, you wouldn't be kissing _me," _Stefan slurred before clumsily taking a long swig of what Elena had figured out to be alcohol; she could smell the fumes even though Stefan was still a good distance away. "You bitch, I fucking _love_ you," he continued, words all garbled and indistinct. "I love you, and you're with _him." _He gestured with his glass toward Damon, who was standing near him, concern evident in his expression, in the way he held his hands out toward his brother, as if not sure exactly how to handle him, with gentleness or ruthlessness.

"Stefan, you're drunk," Elena said softly, pain pricking a thousand holes in her heart. It hurt her to see her former boyfriend and Damon's brother like this, full of sadness and jealousy. All attempts by Elena and Damon to talk to him, to help him through this had been soundly rebuffed, as she had told Bonnie. Neither of them knew quite what to do with Stefan, who was stubbornly holding out hope that Elena would realize her mistake and come back to him.

Damon reached out to grasp Stefan's arm. "Let's go, Stef," he urged his brother, turning him in the direction of the staircase. Stefan shook Damon's hand from his arm, glaring first at him, then at Elena, who was still motionless on the couch, before stalking unsteadily out of the room. They both listened to his footsteps as Stefan stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to his room; only then did Damon turn back to Elena, shoving his hands in his pockets as he slowly made his way back to the sofa, blue eyes stormy.

"Are you alright?" Damon asked, coming to stand in front of her, and she nodded, eyes downcast. He reached out and curled his fingers under her chin, lifting her face up so he could make eye contact with her, and even though his cerulean eyes were troubled, he made an effort to smile slightly at her.

"I know you, Elena," he said softly to her. "You're feeling all guilty over this, and listen to me – it's not your fault. How Stefan acts and what he does is _not your fault._ It's just typical Stefan martyr stuff."

She let out a breath, her hand reaching out to wrap around his arm and draw him closer; she slid her arms around his hips, resting her cheek on his stomach. One of Damon's hands came up to stroke her hair, the other rested on her shoulder.

"I love you," she murmured against his shirt. He made a noise in his throat, reaching down to lift her up by her arms so he could hold Elena to him. As he did so, she remembered something.

"What were you going to ask me?" she inquired, pulling back a little so she could look into Damon's eyes. He shrugged and shook his head, kissing her briefly on her nose.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to spend the night," he said after a moment, but even as Elena nodded she had the feeling that wasn't really what he was going to ask…but as he kissed her lips that thought totally flew out of her mind….

…and later, as they lay in Damon's bed, they were so wrapped up in each other that they never heard Stefan's window opening just long enough for someone to come inside.

Stefan had been unsteadily pacing in his room, feeling alternately sorry for himself and furious at Elena, finishing his drink and then throwing the glass right at the wall, though he felt no satisfaction when it shattered.

_How dare she,_ he kept thinking to himself as he grew angrier and more upset. _How dare she be happy, how dare she not be with me, I love her more than Damon, I'm better for her than Damon, how long is she going to hold leaving against me?_ Finally, after about a year, he sat down on the side of his bed with his head in his hands, pulling his hair so hard it actually hurt, feeling like he had drowned and all that was left was the discovery of his body washed up on shore. _How ironic is that,_ he thought wryly, _I'm already fucking dead and I feel like I want to die._

Ironically, that was when Katherine showed up at his window, one minute just a reflection in the windowpane, the next a presence standing right in front of him, bringing the wintry smell of snow from outside and a seductive smile with her. Stefan stared at her, wondering if this was just some trick of his drunken mind, when she reached out and touched his face with her small, cold fingers.

"What's the matter, lover?" she asked Stefan, who thought to himself _God, she looks so much like Elena it hurts. _"Nothing," he answered out loud, grabbing her hand and shoving it back towards her as he stood up. "You shouldn't be here, you should go."

Katherine smirked at him knowingly, taking another step forward so the front of her body brushed his. "Is that what you _really _want, Stefan? Do you _really_ want me to go?" Her hands reached out again, this time to grasp the front of his shirt, pulling him down to her. Stefan closed his eyes and kissed her, _pretend it's Elena, pretend it's Elena_ running through his mind over and over like a scratched CD.


	2. Chapter 2

Bonnie was at her Grams' house that Saturday; it had been left to her and she used it as a kind of retreat from her father, and to feel close to her grandmother, but it was also her workshop. She came here to practice and hone her witchcraft skills, writing down the spells that worked in a notebook that Bonnie supposed was her own grimoire.

Around lunchtime, she was taking a break and making a chicken-salad sandwich in the kitchen when there was a knock at the door. Thinking that maybe Elena or Caroline had come to pay her a visit, she laid down her sandwich fixings and went to let whichever girl it was in, but as she neared the front door she could see it wasn't one of her girlfriends at all, but Stefan, looking nervous. Raising an eyebrow, she opened the door.

"Hi, Stefan," she started to say but he interrupted her, saying "Bonnie, I need to come in," all in a rush, then shoving past her to get inside. Confused, she closed the door and turned to face him; he was standing in the middle of the living room.

"You can't just barge in here like that," Bonnie stated, kind of annoyed, but Stefan shook his head, taking her hand in his and staring into her eyes intently.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie, I didn't want anyone to see me," he explained. "I need to talk to you – please, will you give me a minute?"

Bonnie, who had no idea what the hell was going on, thought _Maybe not,_ but Stefan squeezed her hand, an imploring look on his face.

"Please," he said quietly. "I saved your life once…won't you at least listen to what I have to say?" His green eyes locked with hers, and Bonnie felt herself weakening – he did have a point with the whole life thing, after all.

"Fine," she said grudgingly. "Have a seat and spill it." She sat down in a comfy wingback chair, and Stefan nodded his thanks before lowering himself to the patterned couch across from her. _He seems uncomfortable, _Bonnie thought as she watched him; he was fiddling with his zipper on his coat, then clasping his hands in front of him, then resting them on his knees; he kept opening his mouth to talk but would shut it again without saying anything. _Something's wrong._

"Stefan," she said in a friendlier tone. "Stefan, you can tell me…what's going on?"

Stefan looked at her blankly for a second, and then apparently decided to come out with it, for he then took a deep breath and said, "I want you to spell Damon."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "You mean, cast a spell on him? For what?" She laughed shortly. "In case you haven't noticed, he's been pretty good lately, though I hate to admit it."

Stefan shook his head impatiently. "No, I need you to make him…make him…" He seemed to be having trouble again, and Bonnie leaned forward impatiently as he lowered his head to stare at the floor.

"Make him – what?" she asked, thinking _This is like pulling teeth_. "What, Stefan?"

Stefan raised his head and looked Bonnie right in the eye. "Make him fall out of love with Elena. Make her – " he paused, green eyes flashing with anger, "_hate him."_

Bonnie sat back in her chair, feeling like a piano had just fallen on her. "Make him fall out of love with Elena?" she parroted. "But – _why?" _

Stefan snorted. "Because Damon's a _psychopath,_ that's why. He's only using her; he's only trying to get back at me for Katherine, Bonnie, and we both know it." He leaned forward intently. "I _love_ her, and I'm losing her to him, and for what? For him to toss her aside when he's done with her?" He shook his head. "We can't let that happen. You're her best friend, and you're the _only one_ who can do something."

Now it was Bonnie's turn to take a deep breath. "Stefan, I – you're right, Elena's my best friend, since we were little… but this is like a serious betrayal. I don't like Damon, and I'm not really happy that they're going out, but – "

"He tried to _kill you_, Bonnie," Stefan cut in, narrowing his eyes at her. "He staked my friend Lexi in cold blood. He fed off Caroline for weeks." Then he went in for the kill. "Bonnie, he really killed your grandmother; he killed Sheila with that whole tomb bullshit."

Bonnie stared at Stefan, feeling like she was drowning in his green, green eyes that were locked on hers, and _wasn't he right? _a little voice piped up in her mind. _Grams would still be alive today if it wasn't for Damon and Katherine and the tomb…_.

Stefan was suddenly off the couch and hunkering down in front of her as she sat in the chair, completely at a loss. He took her hand in his, and he was so close to her, and he smelled really good…his eyes were right at her level and just inches away…her eyes dropped to his mouth, which was just as close as his eyes were, and she watched him say to her, "Bonnie, you're the only one who can help me…" slowly, so slowly, and then he was kissing her, and she had time to think _Jeez, Elena, you gave _this_ up? _before she surrendered herself to it, closing her eyes, he really knew what he was doing…

When Stefan finally lifted his mouth from hers, Bonnie said almost without thinking, "Yes, I'll do it."

Stefan smiled.

Elena had just returned home from Caroline's house late that Saturday; she had listened to her friend go on and on for what seemed like _hours_ about Matt as they sprawled out on her bed, and then they had browsed the funky little shops in town. They had stopped by Bonnie's Grams' house because Bonnie's little Prius had been parked in the driveway, but despite repeated knocking and calling of her cell phone, no Bonnie had come to the door, so Caroline and Elena had left.

Remembering that, Elena reached for her cell and hit Bonnie's speed-dial number, but the phone just rang and rang. Dejected, Elena disconnected without even leaving a message, laying the little phone on her dresser…_where is Bonnie?_ she thought as she turned to hang up the sweater she had purchased earlier in the day. When she turned back around Meredith was sitting on her bed. Elena jumped slightly, dropping her bag on the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me get that," Meredith said quickly, and the bag was back in Elena's hand before she knew it, the vampire standing directly in front of her. Elena's eyes widened slightly and she couldn't help sucking in her breath; Meredith heard it and for a moment looked very sad as she backed slowly away, sitting down on the bed again.

"My apologies," she muttered, looking down for a second. Elena shook her head, putting the bag down on her dresser before leaning against it, crossing her arms.

"No, it's okay," she replied. _She's trying, Elena_, she told herself sternly. _Give her a chance._ Out loud, she asked, "Do you need something?"

Meredith shifted around on the bed, eyes flicking around Elena's room for a moment before coming to rest on her again. "I saw something a little odd, and I thought you should know," she said finally. Elena raised an eyebrow when Meredith stopped talking.

"What did you see, Merry?" she asked, deliberately using Jeremy's nickname for the vampire to calm her down and make her feel more comfortable; Meredith smiled a little at Elena before finally continuing.

"I was coming here earlier today; your brother and I were going out to a comic convention," she explained. "I saw Stefan walking down your friend Bonnie's street, but he didn't see me, I was too far away…he knocked on her door, and glanced around nervously, as if he didn't want anybody to see him there. When Bonnie answered the door, he entered very quickly, and she looked quite surprised before she closed the door." She made a face. "The whole thing was strange."

Elena stared at the blonde vampire as everything seemed to process very slowly in her mind. Then she grabbed her phone again, hitting the speed-dial for Bonnie's number, but just as before it rang and rang, eventually going to voicemail. She hung up again, looking over at Meredith with something like panic racing through her veins.

"Caroline and I went to her house this afternoon, but she didn't answer the door, and I've been calling her and she hasn't answered," she said in a rush. Before Meredith could respond, Elena had turned and picked up her jacket and car keys.

"I'm going over there," Elena said, determination in her voice. "I'll break in if I have to, but I have to make sure Bonnie's alright." Meredith leapt up from the bed, at Elena's side in a flash.

"I'll go with you," she told Elena, following her down the stairs and out the front door. "Just in case." She opened her own cell, texting so quickly her fingers were a blur. "Jeremy," she explained, closing it and slipping it back into her pocket.

Elena didn't stop to ask what Meredith's _Just in case_ meant, but she appreciated her concern. _Maybe I can trust her after all, _she thought as they got into the sleek black Jag and roared off to Bonnie's house. They were there within minutes, and Elena haphazardly pulled into the small driveway behind the silver Prius, which looked to be exactly in the same position as it had been earlier in the day. She hopped out, Meredith right behind her, and strode up to the door, noting that there were no lights on in the house and it was full on dark outside. She reached the front door, raising her hand to knock, but Meredith pushed in front of Elena, throwing an apologetic look over her shoulder before rapping on the door with her knuckles.

"Just in case," she repeated, knocking again. Elena whipped out her cell phone to call Bonnie for the hundredth time, but abruptly the door opened and the girl herself stood in front of them.

"Hey, what's up?" she greeted them brightly. Elena peered at her friend over Meredith's shoulder, but she looked fine. Meredith let out her breath, stepping back to Elena's side.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Elena demanded. "And Caroline and I were here earlier today, and we knocked and knocked – " Bonnie shook her head,

"I'm sorry, Elena, I was in the basement cleaning out some of Grams' old stuff," she explained, and then stopped talking. She didn't invite Elena or Meredith in, either. Elena gave her friend a funny look, gesturing at her own breath puffing in the air.

"Bonnie, it's cold out here…can we talk to you inside?" she asked, smiling at how crazy this all was, but instead of opening the door wider to allow the girls inside, Bonnie took a step outside into the cold, almost closing the door behind her.

"That's not a good idea right now, it's a mess in there," she said, eyes moving from Elena to Meredith and back. "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow? Go to a movie or something?" Before Elena could even reply, Bonnie had flashed a bright smile at them both.

"Great! I'll talk to you tomorrow then," she said, turning and hurrying back into the house, closing the door behind her. In the sudden silence, Elena distinctly heard the lock being turned – and then the deadbolt being thrown. Confused, and a little shocked at Bonnie's behavior, she just stood there for a minute staring at the door, until Meredith tugged at her sleeve.

"It's very cold out here, Elena," she said quietly. "You should go sit in the car with the heat on, at least." She slipped her hand around Elena's arm, leading the girl away from the door and back to the car, where Elena turned the engine over and then sat there, looking from Bonnie's house to Meredith with a puzzled look on her face.

"I don't get it," she said, glancing back to the house, where the lights were now on but the curtains were tightly drawn. "Why is she acting like that?" Turning to Meredith, she asked, "Was Stefan there, do you know?"

"I didn't hear anybody else," the vampire replied, sitting back and putting her seat belt on. Frowning, Elena took her phone back out and hit the speed-dial for Damon.

"Damon's phone – _hello,_ baby," he purred into Elena's ear, and she smiled a little – just hearing his voice made her feel better.

"Damon, are you home right now?" she asked, putting the car into reverse and backing out of Bonnie's driveway. When Damon replied in the positive, she then asked if Stefan was there with him.

"No," Damon replied, sounding puzzled himself. "Why do you ask?"

Quickly Elena filled him in on the weirdness going on as she drove back to her house, Meredith silent in the passenger seat next to her. By the time she had pulled into her own driveway, Damon was there to meet her, watching her park as he hung up his phone. He moved to open her car door as Meredith exited the Jag, circling around to them as Damon embraced Elena, then ushered her inside the warm house out of the cold.

They all said hello to Aunt Jenna, who was reading in the kitchen and drinking hot chocolate with Jeremy; Meredith broke off from them to sit next to Elena's brother, accepting a cup of cocoa with a wink for Elena, who smiled back before heading upstairs to her room, Damon behind her.

"You're starting to feel more comfortable around her," he noted as he closed the door to Elena's room behind him. Elena nodded, sitting down on her bed.

"I guess I am…she was pretty helpful today, with the whole Stefan and Bonnie thing," she replied. Damon nodded a thoughtful look on his face as he leaned against the door. Elena looked down at the floor, trying to sort everything she had learned in her mind.

"Why would Stefan go to see Bonnie?" she wondered out loud. "They're friendly, but not _that_ friendly…" Elena glanced over at Damon, who had come to sit next to her on the bed. "Do you think that he _likes _her?"

Damon shrugged, blue eyes focused on her face. "I think he's not over you yet," he said lightly, placing his hand on her leg. "But maybe he's trying to be."

Elena sighed, leaning into Damon. "I just want him to be happy," she murmured against his chest. "It hurts me to see him so miserable, Damon…"

"You have a kind heart," he told her as his arm came around her. "You need to be more tough, like me..." Then they were kissing, and he was lifting her shirt up over her head, kissing his way down her throat to her collarbone and beyond, and as they lay down on her bed and Damon took his own shirt off Elena forgot all about Stefan and Bonnie and everything else….

Much later, Damon rose from the bed, careful not to disturb Elena as she lay sleeping on her side, one arm thrown around the fluffy down pillow he had eased under it as a substitute. He dressed quickly, then approached Elena again on silent feet, leaning down to kiss her cheek gently and smooth some of her hair away from her face; her eyebrows drew together for a second and she made a small noise, causing Damon to smile as he straightened up and left her room via the window.

As he made his way to the sidewalk, careful of the ice, he glimpsed Meredith coming out from around the back of the house, picking her way around the snow just like him. He slowed down and waited for her to see him. When she spotted him, she smiled at him cautiously as she joined him on the sidewalk in front of the house.

"Hello, Damon," she greeted him, eyes watching his every move. He let out his breath, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at her.

"Listen, let's just cut to the chase here," he told her. "You compelled the girl I love to poison me and then disappear into thin air, all because Katherine told you to."

Meredith looked a little nervous. "Well, yes, but I – "

"_Then," _ Damon continued, drowning her out, "you confess your whole sob story about how you were forced into it so Katherine wouldn't kill Elena's brother, he's your one true love, and blah blah blah _blah._" He raised an eyebrow. "And without you, I might not have found Elena."

"Yes," Meredith said simply. "I like Elena. She has a pure heart." Her lips compressed into a thin line. "Maybe if things were different, she could be my friend, but – " She shrugged, seeming to chalk that thought up as a lost cause.

"Don't count yourself out yet, blondie," Damon told her reluctantly. "That pure heart you speak of will find a place for you – providing you continue to make nice with Jeremy, that is." Just mentioning the name made Meredith smile radiantly.

"I love him," she said wistfully. "I love him like you love Elena – like we've been searching our entire existence for that one person, the one who can complete you, the one who you give your whole heart to." She looked up at Damon and saw his face soften at her words; he ducked his head slightly as if unwilling to be vulnerable in front of her.

"You looked out for her today," he said abruptly, uncrossing his arms and shoving his hands into his pockets. "I need you to keep doing that until I can figure out what the hell Stefan's up to."

Meredith nodded, squaring her shoulders as if feeling the weight of responsibility bearing down on her. "That would be fine," she replied. "Thank you for trusting me with her."

He snorted, turning away. "Just don't fuck it up."


	3. Chapter 3

Damon was waiting for his brother at the boarding house, drinking a glass of blood in the kitchen, when he heard Stefan come in around six on Sunday morning. He continued to wait, draining the last of the red A positive – his favorite – and was rewarded ten minutes later when his brother walked into the room, glancing over at Damon and then quickly away. Damon smirked, placing his glass onto the granite countertop.

"Why, _hello," _ he drawled, watching Stefan take his jacket off and sling it onto a chair. "Where have you _been,_ young man?" He looked pointedly at the clock on the wall. "Out breaking all the girls' hearts?"

"Fuck off," Stefan growled at his brother, who shook his head and strolled on over to stand in front of him, crossing his arms.

"Okay, enough of the small talk," Damon said. "Why were you at Bonnie's house today?"

Stefan gave his brother a dirty look. "I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, walking around Damon towards the greatroom, but Damon blocked his way again, shoving him back slightly.

"Oh, I think you do," he said softly, dangerously. "You were seen, brother, going into her house – and _I want to know why."_

Stefan suddenly slugged Damon right in the face, using all his strength; Damon flew back into the wall, momentarily stunned, but shook it off and came right back with a left hook of his own. The two grappled on the floor for a few moments before Damon, the stronger of the two, hauled Stefan up by his arms and pinned him against the kitchen island.

"What – are you – _up_ to," he panted; they were both breathing heavily and sported various cuts and bruises which were healing rapidly. Stefan refused to look him in the eye, and Damon shook him hard until he raised furious green eyes to his.

"I'm not – _up to anything,´ _ Stefan spat, trying to yank his arms out of Damon's grip but to no avail. "Stay out of – my life." He gave his brother a look filled with hatred. "You – have everything – you want, leave me – _alone." _

Damon let go of Stefan so suddenly that he almost fell to the floor, but regained his stability; though he had taken his hands off his brother, Damon stood so close that his chest bumped into Stefan's.

"I'm sorry," he stated, the words so unexpected by them both that Stefan's eyes flared in surprise. "Stefan, nobody wants to see you like this – angry, upset – "

Stefan placed his hands on the countertop, boosting himself up and over the island to face his brother, who was still wondering where the hell those compassionate words had come from. Stefan's eyes narrowed as his eyes locked on Damon's face.

"You should have thought about that before you betrayed me," he said in a quiet, venom-laced voice. "_Both_ of you should have thought about that." He turned to leave, but stopped dead when Damon spoke again.

"When you left, Stefan, she thought you weren't coming back," he told his brother, all confrontation evaporated. "She was going through so much, and you weren't there – "

Stefan whipped around, green eyes blazing once more. "But _you_ were, weren't you?" he said, voice heavy with sarcasm. "You made sure of that, and you stepped right up to take my place, in her heart and in her bed – but do you know what else that means?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You gave up your place as my brother, too."

Damon said nothing, just stared at Stefan, for once in his life unsure as to what to do, what to say next. Stefan stalked up to him; once again they were nose to nose and eyeball to eyeball – and then Stefan spoke again.

"Give her _back,"_ he said, voice breaking, though he didn't look away. "Give her back to me, and I'll take her somewhere else, where you won't have to see us, you won't have to hear her voice." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I love her, Damon," he admitted. "Just let me _have her again."_

Damon wanted to reach out to his brother, for the first time in God knew how many decades, but knew that Stefan would never allow it. He shook his head, regret clearly evident in his voice when he answered.

"I can't," he told his brother. "I can't, Stefan – I love her, too." He exhaled. "More than anything."

Stefan's eyes dropped to the floor for a moment as he fought for composure, then he laughed bitterly before raising his eyes back to Damon's.

"So then history repeats itself," he said in a low, vicious tone before turning and walking away – and this time, Damon let him go.

Stefan slammed the door to his room, furious beyond words, which seemed to be his usual state lately. For a minute he just stood there, fists clenched, breathing deep, trying to get himself under control. His face hurt from Damon's fist, and his body was a mass of aches from their brief yet violent fight in the kitchen moments before. _I need to fuel up,_ he decided, and was out his window in a fraction of a second, running from the house the next. Instead of tracking and hunting to ground the various wildlife he encountered in the woods, he passed them all up, dark thoughts twisting through his mind as he ran on, not slowing until he reached the first place that held a decent amount of humans at this early weekend hour – a small church on the edge of town. Stefan lurked in the early-morning shadows, hidden from view in the trees that surrounded the parking lot, waiting, waiting…. Finally three older ladies emerged from the church, heading for one of the few cars in the lot, the car closest to the tree line, where Stefan waited patiently.

They never saw him coming.

Bonnie hadn't slept much, and was up with the sun that Sunday morning. Stefan had only visited her for an hour or so the day before, but had promised to come back to see how she was coming along with the spell they had agreed upon. Bonnie, however, hadn't worked on the spell at all; instead she had holed up in her Grams' house the entire day, ignoring the doorbell and cell phone. Then Elena had come to see her, and she had _lied _to her, hadn't told her what was going on, had done her level best to shoo her away and close the door in her face…

Now she poured herself a cup of coffee and took it with her into the dining room, where she sat down heavily in a chair at the table. _I was jealous,_ she admitted to herself. Bonnie had been jealous of Elena and then Caroline for a while now – they were so lucky to have boyfriends who loved them, and though of course she felt bad for Elena with her parents' accident and then being attacked and all, now she had not one, but _two _men, well, _vampires,_ in love with her. _It's not fair, _she thought now gloomily, _but she's my best friend, and Stefan kissing me doesn't change that – he was probably just trying to seal the deal, anyway. _She wrapped her cold hands around the steaming mug, staring morosely into its depths. _When he comes back, I'm going to tell him I can't do it. Then I'm going to call Elena and tell her everything, and beg forgiveness. _She shook her head, taking a sip of her coffee. _I can't believe I even considered it in the first place..._

A breeze blew past her, and Bonnie looked up, startled – Stefan was there, sitting across from her at the table, staring at her intently. She gasped, almost spilling her coffee.

"Don't _do_ that," she told him sternly, trying to regain some composure. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Stefan replied, not sounding sorry at all. "Did you work on the spell?" He seemed full of energy, his eyes roaming the room, his fingers drumming restlessly on the table. Bonnie took a deep fortifying breath.

"No, I haven't," she told him firmly. "I can't, Stefan, it's so _wrong,_ and you know it. Kissing me didn't change anything, and I think you did it so I would go along with your plan." She stood up, watching his face fall. "You need to accept them, Stefan, you need to move on – "

"_No!" _ Stefan shouted, in one smooth and fast motion bolting out of his chair and grabbing Bonnie much as Damon had grabbed him during their fight earlier that morning. Bonnie, startled and scared, started to run through a spell in her mind that would paralyze him so she could get away, but Stefan quickly locked eyes with her, his pupils dilating and then contracting rhythmically, and whatever was in her mind floated away.

"You will put the spell together, with my help," he told her in a low, commanding voice as she froze in his grip like a deer caught in headlights, her pupils following his. "You _will_ carry this out, Bonnie, and you _will_ see it through to the end." Stefan paused for a brief second, thinking rapidly. "You will continue to be Elena's friend and will give nothing away to her or to anybody, especially Damon, and you won't remember this conversation, either." Satisfied, he broke eye contact, tightening his hands around her upper arms as she came back to herself so she wouldn't fall.

Bonnie blinked, trying to focus on Stefan. "Did something happen?" she asked as she realized he was holding her; he released her and stepped back a little.

"No, everything's fine," he replied easily. _Especially since you aren't wearing vervain. _"You stumbled, and I caught you." He tilted his head, regarding her. "Do you want to discuss that spell now?"

Bonnie hesitated for a moment, staring at Stefan with a blank look on her face, and then nodded. "Okay. Let's go down into the basement and I'll show you my supplies."

"Let's," agreed Stefan, following her out of the dining room and smiling at the back of her head.

Elena woke up around nine, blissfully unaware of all the events that had transpired before she had opened her eyes. She stretched her limbs and yawned, feeling pretty good despite Bonnie totally blowing her off yesterday. As she made a mental note to call her when she got up, the bathroom door cracked open and Jeremy's tousled head appeared as he peeked around the corner to see if she was awake. When he ascertained that she was, he came in and threw himself onto her bed, almost bouncing her right onto the floor.

"Jer!" Elena laughed as he flopped his head onto the pillow next to her. "What are you _doing?"_ Though she may have sounded like she was complaining, secretly she was thrilled, the pain of his anger at finding out she had lied about pretty much everything still fresh in her soul. He turned to her now, his eyes sparkling bright.

"Elena, I am in _love,"_ he pronounced. "I love Merry, I really do." He beamed at her then, which lightened Elena's heart even more. "I told her last night."

"Oh, really?" Elena replied, turning on her side to face her brother. "And what did she say?" she asked, though she had a pretty good idea what his answer would be.

Sure enough, Jeremy said, "She said she loved me, too, more than I knew." He tucked his hands behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling. "Elena, I haven't felt like this since….well, since Vicki, and then Anna." His face darkened for a moment as he thought about his lost vampire loves. Elena reached over and squeezed his arm.

"I think you're the most important person in Merry's life, and it's okay to feel happiness," she said softly. "You need to grab onto it with both hands, and cherish it."

Jeremy nodded, still looking up at the ceiling. "I think about Mom and Dad every day, Elena, but when I'm with Merry, I don't feel the pain as much." He glanced over at his sister. "Is it like that for you? With Damon?"

Elena smiled. "Just like that." Then she pinched him under his bicep and he yelped, turning over to shove his face right into his armpit; she sputtered, "Let me go, you stink!" They horsed around for a few moments, pillows flying and noogies abounding, and then Jeremy got up, walking a few steps before turning around to face Elena, who was still rubbing the top of her head.

"I never told you I was sorry," he said all in a rush. "For how I treated you – I was kind of an asshole." He looked away as if ashamed, and Elena's heart broke a little.

"Forget it, Jer," she said softly, and he nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting a little.

"I'm going downstairs for breakfast," he told her before heading out her door, closing it behind him. Elena lay back on her pillow for a moment, contemplating all that had just gone down between her and her brother. _Thank God he doesn't hate me anymore,_ she thought to herself as she decided to finally get up and take a shower. She rose and started to make the bed, thinking about nothing in particular until she glanced up and saw Stefan standing right on the other side of the mattress, watching her.

"Stefan! You scared me," she gasped, unwittingly repeating Bonnie's previous words as one hand flew to her chest. He made an apologetic face, pulling the sheets up to the headboard.

"I didn't mean to," he said, reaching down for the comforter and arranging it over the pillows; Elena watched him for a minute before doing the same thing on the other side so the bed was made; she didn't know what else to do with her hands. Stefan finished making the bed and then walked around to meet her on the other side; Elena felt her heart rate increase but willed it to calm back down. _Stefan won't hurt me, Stefan won't hurt me,_ she kept thinking as he came closer to her. He stopped a few feet away, green eyes intense as they locked onto her face.

"Elena," he breathed, reaching out to touch her cheek – she backed up a step so his fingertips caressed thin air. His eyes flared slightly in surprise and he let his hand drop, but didn't say anything. They stood like that for what seemed like six years and then Elena said very quietly and sincerely, "Stefan – you can't do stuff like that anymore." Her eyes begged him to understand as her stomach twisted itself into knots. Stefan smiled, but it looked more like a grimace.

"Of course," he said bitterly. "I should know better, right?" He shook his head as if trying to clear it. Elena hugged herself, wanting to comfort Stefan somehow, but unsure as to how to go about it. "It hurts me to see you like this, Stefan," she told him honestly. "What can I do to help you? Tell me and I'll do it."

Stefan's eyes narrowed as he regarded her. "You can leave my brother." He took a step towards her. "You know I'm better for you, don't you, Elena? He just wants you because of who you _look _like; I want you because of who you _are."_

Elena's heart was racing again, and his eyes shifted from hers to her chest as a smile curled his lips. "I can hear your heart beating," he said softly. "I'm making you nervous." His green eyes rose back up to her face.

"A little," she admitted; there was no point in lying now. "But I love Damon. I will _not_ leave him for you," she stated firmly, now feeling a small fireball of anger growing inside her. "You gave up all rights to me when you left for so long, Stefan – I've told you more than once now we can be friends, but we will never be more than that again." Her voice softened. "Please believe me when I say that I never meant for this to happen, and I _do_ want to be your friend."

Stefan was shaking, she could see his hands trembling – her eyes widened, and then he reached out and grabbed her arm, dragging her right up against him in the blink of an eye and then his mouth was hard on hers, kissing her violently, and she was pushing against him but it was like trying to move a stone wall, he didn't budge an inch.

"I love you, Elena," he ground out in a low, harsh tone when he lifted his lips from hers. His eyes burned down into hers, and it was like she was looking into the eyes of a different person. "Let me show you how much." His mouth crashed down on hers again before she could utter a sound, and his other hand snaked up under her pajama top, touching her right breast, and he was grinding himself against her, she couldn't get away –

"Let go of her," an angry voice said.


	4. Chapter 4

Suddenly Stefan was gone and Elena stumbled back against her bed, gasping for air, pulling her tank top back down to cover her stomach. Meredith was standing a few feet in front of her, totally vamped out, staring hard at Stefan, who had been thrown across her room and had come to rest by the window. He stared at Meredith in shock, breathing hard, and Elena sat down hard on her mattress, hardly believing what was happening. As she watched Meredith smiled nastily at Stefan, blood red eyes narrowing as she slowly advanced toward him.

"I may be slow to anger," she rasped in a scary voice Elena had never heard come out of her before, "but I think you forget that I am older and stronger than both you and your brother." She bared her fangs, and Elena's eyes widened; they were the longest she had ever seen on a vampire. "I think you need to leave Elena alone, and leave this house, before I show you just how _angry_ I can get."

Stefan stood up, smirking at the little blonde vampire who had stopped right in front of him and then his gaze jumped to Elena, who hadn't moved, so frozen in shock was she.

"Soon, Elena," he said, and it sounded like he was taking some sort of vow. "Soon." And he turned and vanished out the window as silently as he had arrived. Meredith stayed where she was for a moment, staring at the window, and then turned and was at the bed in the blink of an eye, face completely normal again as she stood in front of Elena, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright, my dear?" she asked, and Elena just stared at her for a moment, trying to merge this pleasant face with the scary vampire face she had just seen two seconds ago, and then she snapped out of it and nodded.

"Yeah, I think I am," she told Meredith slowly, who scrutinized her face and then _tsk-tsked_, eyes dropping to Elena's arm where Stefan had grabbed her; Elena looked and saw that Stefan had bruised her, leaving perfect fingerprints on the pale skin of her upper arm. Her eyes flew back to Meredith; the vampire had turned to pick something up on Elena's dresser and was now handing her a lipstick.

"You better wear this," she told Elena. "Your lips are a bit red and swollen; are you _sure_ you are alright?" She regarded Elena with a speculative look. "I know you and he were close once, but that does not excuse this type of behavior, you know." She slid her hand into her pocket, coming up with a small silver cell phone, which she handed to Elena. "Perhaps you would like to call Damon and – "

"No!" Elena exclaimed, shoving the cell phone back towards Meredith, who looked surprised. "I mean, I don't want to call Damon," she amended. "I don't want him to know this happened – please, Merry, don't tell him." When Meredith hesitated, looking unsure, Elena went on, "I've caused enough contention between them, Merry, and they're _brothers_; I don't want them to fight anymore." She stopped talking for a moment, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I – I don't want to be Katherine all over again."

"Oh, Elena," Meredith said sadly, sitting down next to Elena. "That could never happen – don't you know that by now?" She patted Elena's hand briskly. "You can't help who you fall in love with, and Stefan should have realized that going away would lead to you turning to Damon, who has loved you all along…these things _happen_, little kitten." She smiled. "It's called _life."_

"I guess," Elena muttered in an unconvinced tone, eyes glued to the comforter. Meredith sighed.

"Are you quite sure you don't want to call Damon?" she asked Elena, who shook her head and stood up; Meredith did the same. Elena smiled at her.

"Thank you, Merry…I don't want to think about what might have happened if you weren't here." She broke off, tilting her head as she looked at the blonde vampire standing in front of her. "How did you know to come up here, anyway?"

Meredith smiled widely. "I was coming to see Jeremy, Elena...we're going to go ice-skating today." Then her smile faltered slightly. "Oh, heavens, I left my skates below your window…I was walking up to the front door when I heard something quite odd emanating from your room, so…" She shrugged herself, turning toward the window. "Goodbye, Elena, I'll see you later," she tossed over her shoulder, and then she was gone. Elena stared at her window in bemusement – _I should just put a welcome mat over there, _she thought – and then went into her bathroom to take a shower; maybe that would make her feel a little better….

Later that morning, Elena was in the family room watching TV by herself when the doorbell rang; Aunt Jenna called from somewhere in the house, "I'll get it!" so Elena didn't bother to get up. She was sitting on the part of the sectional couch that faced away from the family room's point of entry, so she didn't see or hear Damon Salvatore until he was sitting next to her. He smiled at her, but the smiled faded a bit when he saw her face.

"Elena, what happened here?" he inquired, reaching up to trace her lips with the tip of his index finger; she had applied a thin layer of lipstick, but apparently it hadn't been enough. She shifted slightly, reaching up to pull his hand away from her face and down to her lap, where she held it tightly.

"I used this lip balm when I woke up that I think I'm allergic to," Elena lied, looking Damon right in the eye. "It'll go away." She smiled at him as convincingly as she could, and he narrowed his gaze, scrutinizing her face, but in the end merely leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her mouth, his lips barely grazing hers.

"I have news," he told her when he straightened again, leaving his hand in her lap. "Three bodies were found a short time ago on the edge of the church's parking lot – you know, that old little church on the way out of town?" He didn't wait for her to reply. "They were drained of blood, Elena… you know what that means."

"Animal attack?" she answered sarcastically and he nodded.

"Well, that too," he replied, smirking, "but…either there's a new vampire in town, which I doubt because what would the draw be, or Katherine's still hanging around like a stray cat."

Elena's eyes widened; they had talked about Katherine remaining in the area, but to be confronted with proof was another thing altogether. She took a deep breath. "Alright," she replied, looking up at Damon, "now what?"

He shrugged, quirking a dark eyebrow at her. "I'll scout around, see if I can't flush her out to see what she wants," he responded, tightening his hand on hers when she tried to pull away. "Elena, I'll be fine," he reassured her. "I need to know what the hell is going on, though."

Elena pulled back a little so she could look into Damon's cerulean eyes. "I think we both know what she wants," she told him, a touch of anger coloring her voice. "She wants you and Stefan, and she wants me out of the picture somehow." She shook her head, frustration clenching her insides. "When will she _stop?_ She's like the freaking Terminator; nothing stops her."

Damon snorted in amusement. "She _can_ be stopped, Elena, I just have to figure out how." He sighed theatrically. "What I wouldn't give for some kryptonite, though…" Elena smacked him lightly on his arm with her free hand and leaned forward again. "I need to find her to stop her," he told her, lips barely touching hers. "I need to keep you safe." Then he kissed her, and she forgot about Katherine and Stefan and everything else, at least for a little while.

Stefan, meanwhile, was with everybody's favorite evil look-alike; she was hiding right in plain sight in Frederick's serial killer cottage deep in the Old Wood. He had been drawn there like an insect to a Venus fly trap after his aborted attempt to make Elena his once again; he scowled as he thought about that nosy bitch Meredith – _she would have to pay for that,_ he thought to himself darkly – he had worked off his frustration with Katherine, who he pretended was his beloved once again. _It's not that hard to do_, he thought, as they lay together in her bed afterwards, Katherine going on and on about God only knows what. _I just have to tune her out sometimes when we're done…like right now._

"And, Stefan, I don't like the fact that Damon is still with that…that…." Katherine stuttered, and Stefan smirked at her inability to say Elena's name. It was funny, really; since Elena was her direct descendant Katherine, one of the most ruthless vampires Stefan had ever known, was very reluctant to actually _harm_ her…but that didn't mean she liked her at all.

"_Girl," _she spat out finally, pouting at Stefan. "I want you two all to myself, just like I had planned." She ran her hand down his muscular chest, not stopping at his stomach but continuing on until she had reached her goal. He inhaled sharply. "At least I have _you,"_ she said in a sultry tone, the corner of her mouth lifting. "You do know I love you best, Stefan."

"Of course," he said dryly, though he knew better. At one time he had believed her when she told him that, but now that he had experienced real love with Elena, he recognized Katherine's so-called love for what it was – selfish possession. But he didn't really care any more since he had formed his very own Diabolical Plan, and much like Damon's, it included bloodshed, violence – and magic. He thought about how easy it had been to compel Bonnie to do what he wanted; _silly little thing to think that she didn't need vervain because she had her spells to protect her_ ran through his mind, and he smiled. Katherine, of course, thought he was smiling at _her_ and raised her mouth for a kiss, but he turned his face away from hers.

The only woman he would ever kiss again, he vowed, would be Elena.

That night, Elena and Damon were locked away together in Damon's room, where they had retired after dinner and a movie; Elena had called Bonnie that afternoon to see if she wanted to go but Bonnie had begged off, claiming she had a raging headache and just wanted to stay home. Elena had offered to come over, but Bonnie had said she was just going to take some medicine and sleep, thanks anyway, Elena, love you, bye! And had hung up. Elena has stared at her phone in some confusion before calling Caroline, who lived nearby, and asking if she could stop by Bonnie's and check on her; Caroline had reported back twenty minutes later that she had received the same treatment as Elena from the previous day – a quick how do you do at the door, then goodbye. They had agreed to storm Grams' house the next day.

But now Elena's mind was solely focused on Damon; he had taken his shirt off and was now working on unbuttoning her cardigan; he leaned down for a kiss while he took it off and let it drop to the floor. She smiled at him and backed up slightly, boosting herself up onto his massive king-sized bed. Damon came in for the kill, standing in front of her, hands dropping to the hem of her tank top, but before he could take it off his eyes wandered over to her arm and he froze. Elena's eyes skittered from Damon's face to where he was looking; her upper arm, where Stefan's fingerprints stood out in perfect relief, five small bruises against her pale skin. _Oh, shit, _thought Elena as her eyes flew back to Damon's; he did not look happy at all.

"What the fuck happened there, Elena?" he asked in a deadly calm voice, reaching out to turn her arm slightly so he could get a better look. "Who had their hands on you?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Better yet, why don't I already _know_ who had their hands on you?"

Elena swallowed audibly. "Damon, I – " She stopped._ What am I going to tell him that won't make him want to kill Stefan?_ raced through her brain. _C'mon, Elena, think – you didn't get that A in English for nothing!_ "It was Jeremy," she blurted out. "We were playing around in my room this morning and I pinched him, so he grabbed me and gave me a noogie." She smiled convincingly and even laughed a little as she looked right into Damon's eyes. "Totally harmless – I didn't even think he had grabbed me that hard."

Damon said nothing, that look of death still on his face, blue eyes boring into her own. "Are you sure that's the story you're sticking with?" he asked her, still in that scary voice. "You wouldn't be – _covering_ for somebody, would you? Like Stefan? Did he do that to your mouth, too?" He stared intently at her for a long, long moment until she faltered, looking down at the floor.

"Stefan showed up in my room this morning," she confessed in a monotone. "He grabbed me and kissed me, but Meredith showed up before he could do anything else and he left." She had edited out where he had slid his hand up her shirt – and worse – but Damon knew enough. His hand gripped her shoulder as he reached out with the other to lift her face up so he could see her; now the look of death was tempered, somewhat, with sadness.

"Why do you feel you have to lie to me, Elena?" he asked quietly. She shook her head, pushing him away, backing up further on the bed away from him – now he just looked shocked.

"Because I don't want you to hurt your own brother!" she yelled at him. "I'm tired of always coming between you and Stefan – I won't do it anymore!" Before she could say or do anything else, or slide off the bed, Damon was right in front of her.

"Elena – " he started to say, but she shook her head again, more forcefully this time, evading his hands when they tried to hold her still again.

"It's true, Damon, and we both know it," she told him tiredly, glancing up at his face. "He's the only brother you have – and you're going to spend eternity hating each other because I was with him first." _I'm no better than Katherine_ hung in the air between them, unspoken. Damon finally succeeded in taking her into his arms, drawing her against him; she rested her head against his naked, muscular chest as they knelt in the middle of the bed.

"We have all of eternity to reconcile," he murmured against her ear, his cheek resting on her hair. "We will, Elena – we always do." She felt him shrug. "He just needs to brood for a little while and then he'll come around." Damon leaned his forehead against hers, waiting until she looked up at him. "I'm not letting you go," he said quietly, yet with conviction in his voice. "I love you too much to do that."

"I love you, too," Elena told him reluctantly, and he chuckled a little, but sobered quickly.

"Don't hide anything from me again," he said darkly, and when she nodded he kissed her again, very gently, and they sank down to the bed to continue where they had left off….

…and later that night, when the moon had gone down and the darkness outside and in was deep, Damon sat up in his bed and opened the vein in his wrist – carefully, so Elena wouldn't wake, he let just a little of his blood drip onto her lips and into her mouth; she made a face but merely turned over and continued to sleep. He waited a few seconds for his wound to heal before he lay back down next to her, taking her pliant form into his arms and kissing her temple.

"I won't lose you, Elena," he told her in a whisper. "I won't."


End file.
